


The Library

by bennyandthevamps



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 09:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7354948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bennyandthevamps/pseuds/bennyandthevamps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the dailysupernaturalprompts.tumblr.com May-June challenge!</p>
<p>Prompt: There’s always that one little spot Dean goes to when he needs to study. It’s in the back of the library, and it’s always quiet… At least until Castiel Novak ambles in and wrecks Dean’s plans. (http://dailyspnprompts.tumblr.com/post/144311730765/t-destiel-oneshot)</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Library

**Author's Note:**

> For the dailysupernaturalprompts.tumblr.com May-June challenge!
> 
> Prompt: There’s always that one little spot Dean goes to when he needs to study. It’s in the back of the library, and it’s always quiet… At least until Castiel Novak ambles in and wrecks Dean’s plans. (http://dailyspnprompts.tumblr.com/post/144311730765/t-destiel-oneshot)

            It was always the perfect spot. No one to bother him, no one to eat smelly food or spill water near him, no crinkling papers or fast food bags or people asking, “is this seat taken?” Just the sunlight streaming through the tall windows, and at night the moon and stars to keep him company. This was Dean’s favorite spot in town, sometimes, his favorite spot in the world.

            When he sat down in the back of the library Dean could do anything, become anyone. He opened novels and escaped to worlds he could never imagine. He picked up books from the nonfiction section on topics he’d never even heard of. And on nights when he got really carried away, a librarian would have to quietly walk to the back of the room, past the tall stacks of books that smelled like home, and tell him, “Dean, it’s that time again. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” they’d say with a smile, wrapping a cardigan or sweater around their shoulders before quietly walking away in the cool space, making sure not to disturb the building itself.

            When Dean was a kid he’d come to this library, roaming around the stacks, amazed by the attention span and hard work of the college students sitting at the impossibly big wooden tables. Now he’s made it to college, and after everything that he and Sam had gone through, this space became his home even more.

He went to the back of the second floor, behind the nonfiction and just past the mystery section, and sat down at one of those impossible tables he saw as a child. Dean was a junior now, studying Classics and Film. He was always enamored by the various mythologies of the two, the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the mythologies created by our modern culture, myths of the west and mobsters. He thought of modern femme fatales and ancient female power, and weaved his passions together like that famous Cretan labyrinth he knew so well.

When Dean was in that library everything made sense. He could stay from dusk till dawn, reading and writing and chugging away on his laptop. He was determined to make something of himself and his odd combination of degrees, so he tried to ace every class he could.

Saturday afternoon changed everything.

Dean was going to his usual spot in the library after taking a quick lunch break. Normally he would just leave his stuff there, the librarians were fond of him and would know if someone messed with his stuff. But today he was heading a little farther away to treat himself with a burger for finishing one of his papers.

As he walked up the stairs he noticed the soft light coming in through the trees. The leaves were falling and winter would be coming soon. _Good thing the library has heating_ , he thought. Dean scoped out the novels and nonfiction as he walked, mentally noting any covers or titles he found interesting. And then, after coming around the last stack, he saw someone there. As in There. Sitting in his spot.

_No._ Dean thought to himself. _Hell no, what the hell is this son of a bitch doing here? No one ever comes up here except me. And that old lady once, but she was sort of lost and just wanted to check out those Sherlock Holmes books…but anyways. What the hell?_

Dean walked behind the stack that he’d just come out of and pulled a book from the shelf. He opened it to a random page and pretended to read while he stared at _him_ through the spaces between the shelves.

Books and papers, in piles as messy as the pile of black hair on the man’s head, surrounded him. He searched each page frantically, flipping through three books before writing something down, and then going back to search for more. From what Dean could make out they were all books about space. There were diagrams of planets and stars, and a book that seemed like it was 1,000 pages of information dedicated just to black holes.

_So_ , Dean thought, _an astronomer, that’s pretty cool._ Dean watched for a few more minutes as the man flipped and wrote, getting lost in observing the way the man’s eyes scanned each page, and how his hands fluttered through the books and across his notes.

The man let out a sigh and shook his head, dropping his pencil and shaking Dean out of his trance. Dean placed the book back on the shelf and approached the man, knowing that he’d have to get his spot back sooner or later.

“Uh, hey there,” Dean said placing his hand on the table to get the man’s attention, “sorry, but you’re sort of in my spot.”

The man squinted up at Dean, his brows furrowed and head tilted to the side. “Oh,” the man said, “I didn’t see anything when I sat down, I apologize.”

“Well, there wasn’t exactly anything here when you sat down,” Dean replied, rubbing his hands on his jeans, “you see, when you got here I was out getting something to eat, but I’m back now, and I’d like to get on with the work I was doing before I left.”

“Right, of course, unfortunately I came all the way back here because there are no other empty tables left. We could always share this table though. It would be a shame if either of us had to sit on the ground.”

Dean looked around and realized the man was right. Looked like today he’d be sharing his corner of the library.

The two worked in silence for the next few hours, Dean typing away at another paper and the man flipping frantically through his notes and books. Dean checked the time and realized he was at a good point in his paper for a break. He closed his laptop and stretched, looking across the table at the astronomer in training.

Dean cleared his throat and leaned across the table, “I forgot to ask what your name was.”

The man looked up at Dean, bleary-eyed. He looked like he could use a break too.

“Castiel Novak. Yours?”

“Dean, Dean Winchester.” There was a pause for a moment as Castiel rubbed his eyes and Dean fidgeted awkwardly. _Come on Winchester; get a conversation going,_ Dean thought to himself. “So, uh, Cas, astronomy, huh?” Dean asked, waving his hand at the books on Castiel’s side of the table.

“Yes, astronomy is what I’m studying.”

“That’s pretty cool, never met someone who studies stars before,” Dean said smiling. The man smiled back and chuckled. _All right, we’re getting somewhere._ “What do you like the best out of all those old books, I mean, there’s so much out there…” Dean asked.

They talked for another hour or so, laughing in the back of the library. When they went back to their work Dean would catch Castiel looking at him every once in a while. Their eyes would meet, Castiel would blush and drop his eyes back to his books, but Dean would keep looking for a little while.

When they finally left the library it was dark outside and there was a chill in the air. The few leaves that had fallen rustled around them. When Dean looked up the sky was clear, and he saw more stars than he thought he ever had before.

Castiel looked back at Dean and started to walk toward the parking lot. “It was nice meeting you Dean,” he said, “thanks for sharing the table with me.”

“Hey, yeah, no problem.” Dean followed Castiel to the parking lot, stopping with Castiel when he got to his car. “So, I know it’s kind of late, but maybe do you want to grab something to eat,” Dean asked.

“Yes, of course,” Castiel replied, “something warm though, it’s cold out here tonight.”

“Definitely, and something warm to drink too,” Dean paused and smiled at Castiel, then looked at the stars again. “Hey, Cas.”

“Yes Dean?”

“What do you think of all the stars out tonight? It’s a pretty clear night, huh?”

“I think they’re amazing,” Castiel said, but when Dean turned back to look at Castiel he saw that his eyes were fixed on Dean’s.

“Cas, you’re not even looking at them!”

“No, but right now you’re more incredible than anything in my old textbooks,” Castiel said, leaning in towards Dean. They looked at each other for a moment, taking each other in with the stars shining above them. Dean cleared his throat and stepped back. His face was flushed, but luckily it was too dark for anyone to see.

“So,” Dean said, “how about that warm drink?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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